Holder device for stockings



June 3, 1930. E. R. MEINIG HOLDER DEVICE FOR STOCKINGS Filed April 25, 1929 Qwvgnkoc .E. H. Meir: i3,

Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST RICHARD MEINIG, OF WYOMISSING,- PENNSYLVANIA; ASSIGNOR.-T0 E. RICHARD I vAnIA MEI NIG 00., INC., 0E, READING, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF. PENNSYL HOLDER:DEVICE FOR STOCKINGS- Application filed April 23,

This invention pertains to supports or holders,. andmore especiallyto a support tobe employed for holding tubular garments such as stockings ;or the like, while such garments are undergoing a dyeing operation or other treatment. v

Heretoforefln. dyeing hosiery and like articles, .the stockings have been placed indiscriminately in the dyeing liquid, and as the articles were agitated, they rubbed against oneanother, and this frayed some of the threads; and thereby damaged some of the stockings, so they had to be sold as seconds. Some effort. was made to eliminate this ob- ;jectiomby carefully. arranging the stockings in superposed relation, but even this expedientdidnotsolve the difiiculty. In my application Serial No. 346,958, filed-MarchM, 1929,.1 have. disclosed adyeing process in whichthe stockings, while arranged in londistance to taut the stocking, and the upper end ofwthe hanger is provided with a supporting ring or the like, which ring has a lateralspread on each side of thefiat stretcher frame to positively space the frames from one another when they are suspended on supporting bars or the like.

Aafurther object of the invention is to provide a combined stocking stretcher and holder of simple and inexpensive construction, and

one whichwill positively space a garment mounted on the same from another garment mounted on a similar holder, while the hold- .ers are suspended on supporting bars or the like.

With the foregoing objects .outlined and with other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, myinvention consists in the novel featuresheremafter de- 1929. Serial No. 357,375.

scribed in detail, illustrated in the-accompanying drawing, and more particularly pointed out in the. appended claims.

Referring to the drawing,

Fig. lis an elevation of one of my improved hangers with a stocking arranged thereon in tauted condition. Fig.2 is a side edge view of the hanger to llustrate its plane or flat form, and showing its supporting ringwiththe opposite sides thereof spaced apart to facilitate spacing the forms on a supporting rodor the like.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective View of my improved hanger.

F ig.'4 is a top plan view of the hanger shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively, transverse horizontal sectional views of the hanger, taken on lines 5-5 and 66 respectively, of Fig. 3.

While my hanger may be made of any suitable material, I prefer to manufacture the same from ordinary wire ofsuitable thick ness, for this permits the device to be made inexpensively, and provides a structure particularlyadapted for dyeingpurposes or the like. The hanger may include. a stretcher framel O, whichincludes parallel side rods orllegs 11 that have converging lower ex tensions-12 which merge into a point or terminallS that forms a part to engage the toe of the stocking-14. Itmay benoted at this pointthatthe rods 11 are relatively close to; one another in comparison with the opposite side edges of-the stocking when'the latter is in flat form. In other words,*the hanger does not stretch the stocking horizontally, but only vertically, and an effort is made to maintain thestocking fabric out of any press-. ing contact with the. rods 11, for if the stocking should press against these rods, undesired marks might show up on the dyed stocking.

For the purpose of bracing the rods 'll near a the lower ends of the same and providing-a solder or the like. a

to .the latterIbyanysuitable means, such as- An upper cross brace 16 is interposed between-therods-ll: near theupperxends of the latter, and the Wire from which this cross brace is formed, is preferably specially shaped to provide a T-shaped projection that is designed to enter the slit that is usually present in the welt of certain types of stockings. When a stocking is placed on this stretcher frame or hanger, the point 13 will be inserted into the stocking until the point contacts with the toe portion of the latter,

and then the upper end of the stocking is pulled or stretched on the hanger until the member 17 can be inserted into the slit in the stocking welt. Then, when the stocking is released by the operator, it will tend to assume the form shown in Fig. 1, and it will be maintained in longitudinally tauted or stretched condition while occupying the hanger.

It may be seen that the side rods 11 extend upwardly a considerable distance above the cross brace 16, so that the upper end of the hanger may be manipulated without handling the stocking, and each of the rods 11 terminates at its upper end in an inwardly extending portion 17. These portions are arranged at angles'to the rods 11, and they are spaced apart by a spacing web 18, which may also be formed of wire, and have its ends secured to the portions 17 by any suitable means. The portions 17' merge into a distorted ring 19, and it is the upper portion of each of these hangers that provides spacing means for holding a series of such hangers in spaced relation when the hangers are mounted on a horizontally disposed supporting bar or the like.

In use, when hangers of this character have been loaded with the stockings, the supporting bar or bars of the dyeing machine are threaded through the rings 17, and each horizontal supporting bar will carry a multiplicity of the hangers with the stockings thereon, and then the machine actuates to dip the stockings and the main portions of the hangers into the dyeing liquid contained in a vat or the like. In such operation, the rings or spaced extensions 17 keep the stocking apart so that they do not rub against one another in the dipping operation.

While I have disclosed what I now consider the preferred form of the invention in such manner that the same may be readily understood by those skilled in the art, it is apparent that hangers of this character may be employed for various purposes, and that the details of the structure may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention, as expressed in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A holder device for tubular garments such. as stockings, comprising a stretcher frame of smaller spread than the tubular garment, and having a toe engaging end and a welt engaging member spaced apart to longitudinally taut the garment, and a substantially ring-shaped supporting member above said welt engaging member, said substantially ring-shaped member having a lateral spread on each side of said stretcher frame to space a contiguous stretcher frame therefrom.

2. A holder device for a stocking being subjected to a dyeing process, comprising a flat stretcher frame of smaller spread than the tubular stocking, and having a toe engaging end and a welt engaging member spaced apart to longitudinally taut a stocking, and a supporting ring spaced from the welt engaging member, said ring having a lateral spread on each side of said flatstretcher to space a continguous similar stretcher frame therefrom.

3. A holder device for supporting a' stocking while it is being subjected to a dyeing process, comprising a relatively narrow stretcher frame having a toe engaging end and a welt engaging member spaced apart to longitudinally taut the stocking, and a supporting ring above said welt engaging member, opposite sides of the ring being outwardly offset relatively to the stretcher frame for spacing the latter from a similar frame when a plurality of similar holding devices are mounted on a supporting bar or the like.

4. A holder device for supporting a stocking or the like, while the latter is being subjected to a treating process, comprising a relatively narrow flat skeleton stretcher frame having a toe engaging end and a welt engaging member spaced apart to longitudinally taut the stocking, and a supporting ring above said welt engaging member, said ring being distorted axially to provide spacing means at the upper end of the holder device.

5. A holder device for supporting a stocking'or the like, while the latter is being subected to a treating process, comprising a relatively narrow flat stretcher frame formed of wire and having a toe engaging and welt engaging member spaced apart to longitudinally taut the stocking, and a supporting ring above said welt engaging member, said ring being of split formation and having its end portions spaced axially of the ring and 'merging into the sides of the stretcher frame.

' 6. A holder device for supporting a stocking or the like, While the latter is subjected to a treating process, comprising a flat stretcher frame formed of wire and having a toe engaging terminal and a welt engaging member spaced therefrom to longitudinally taut the stocking, the sides of the frame extending upwardly above the welt engaging I member, and then extending toward one an other and merging into a supporting ring.

7. A holder device for supporting a stocking or the like while the latter is being subjected to a treating process, comprising substantially parallel side rods having at their 

